Origins of Christmas

Ron, one of my correspondents, tells about the origin of Christmas with the following, based upon the prophet Micah 5.

But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth unto Me the One to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore he shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth......... And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now He shall be great unto the ends of the earth. And this One shall be peace.

Many of us have seen Dr. Seusss animated cartoon "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" The Whoville villagers get ready for their celebrations. The cuddly as a cactus grinch, looking from his cave in the mountains above, determines to stop it. He gets an idea (an awful idea), and his face breaks into a termite-filled smile. He sneaks into the village at midnight, stealing the Christmas trees and decorations, the presents, and the food for their feasts. However, when he listens at dawn on Christmas, he hears a song of thanksgiving instead of the mourning that he had hoped for. It melts his heart and he returns all the decorations, the presents, and shares in their feast.

Throughout the years there have been many grinches who tried to steal Christmas. During the Reformation era John Calvin got the mistaken idea of the Roman Catholic church being mostly festivals and ceremonies. Although he and his Puritan followers had good intentions, their misguided zeal not only abolished festival days (including Christmas), but banished instrumental music (even melting down organ pipes for scrap tin), which had a chilling effect on music in England. In contrast, Martin Luther saw Rome in terms of false doctrine (legalism, Mary worship) and the institutional monster. Although ceremonies and festivals were not commanded in the Bible, he saw them as a useful way to teach the truths of Christianity. Since Luther encouraged music, north Germany became a fountain of great composers, Heinrich Schtz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Johannes Brahms to name a few.

Topping the list of real life grinches is the grinch of the first Christmas, Herod the Great. When he heard about the birth of the King foretold in ancient Scripture, he first asked the wise men to search for the Holy Child and bring him word. When the wise men got away without telling him, he got angry and ordered all the baby boys in Bethlehem to be killed. However, his scheme was thwarted when the angel warned Joseph to take Mary and the child and escape to Egypt. Herod himself died a horrible death. All the other attempts of the grinch behind the scenes, namely Satan, came to nothing. After Jesus Christ was crucified and buried, he rose from the dead, thereby sealing our salvation. This showed that all the grinches in the world could not steal the joy of Christmas or other festivals that highlight important truths of our faith. 

So let us take time to celebrate this day as we remember the great mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh. By faith in the first coming, our sins are forgiven and we are prepared for the second. Let us resist the grinches who would steal Christmas. Let us proclaim Joy to the World! The Lord is Come!